29 October 2023 , 13:00
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Tyson Fury could be forced to wait until February for his undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk after surviving an almighty scare against Francis Ngannou.
The two heavyweight world champions were poised to announce their clash would go ahead two days before Christmas back in the Saudi Arabian desert.
Instead Fury was knocked down in the third round of what was supposed to be an exhibition of his generational talent but what turned into a war of attrition. The Brit delivered one of the worst performances of his career against a man making his professional boxing debut.
Tyson Fury will still fight Oleksandr UsykBut the judges spared Fury any further embarrassment by awarding him victory by the narrowest of margins to ensure his money-spinning clash with Usyk will at least still go ahead. "It is too soon to talk about what Tyson does right now but the Usyk fight is signed," said his promoter Frank Warren.
"It will go ahead but it will not be on December 23, it was crazy for some people to suggest that it could still go ahead then. "He is 35 years old and has just done a 12-week training camp and has just been in a tough fight. Ngannou gave him more problems than Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte put together and he needs a break with his family, he needs to switch off and we will announce the date when we are ready. But the fight is signed and it will happen early in the new year, late January or February."
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Fury had announced his fight with Usyk weeks before he was due to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou - but Warren insisted he had not taken the Cameroonian lightly. "I can’t say Tyson took the fight lightly but it was unfortunate that the news came out that the Usyk fight had been made," he said. "But we had to do that because once you sign a contract it leaks like a sieve.
"That wasn’t Tyson Fury in there, it was a bad day at the office. But it was a win, he won the fight through his grit and determination. Ngannou was very dangerous and strong and would give anyone a hard and tough fight. I don’t think someone like Anthony Joshua could handle Ngannou’s pressure, he is one tough b******."